Bernalillo County strives to provide excellent service to the citizens of Bernalillo County.

In furtherance of this goal, the Board of County Commissioners have made a public commitment to creating an ethical culture within county government by enacting a Code of Conduct for public employees and elected officials at Chapter 2, Article III, Section 4 of the Bernalillo County Code of Ordinances.

The Code of Conduct includes several specific rules, e.g., prohibition against private financial interests in public contracts, and a general prohibition against the use of their public positions for their own private financial gain or that of another. Other examples of potential violations of the Code of Conduct include: theft or misuse of county property, inappropriate or unprofessional behavior while on duty and/or in the workplace, dangerous driving or work practices or other inappropriate behaviors by county employees that interfere with the county’s mission of excellence in public service.

If you witness any misconduct by county public servants, we want to know so we can strive to correct any problems and provide information to the public about our efforts to address any problems, and to instill a culture of ethics within our public servants to do the best work possible for the citizens of Bernalillo County.

Complaints

If you see something that you believe to be a violation of the Code of Conduct by a county employee or elected official, report it to the Compliance Office. You may email us, call (505) 468-1382, or send us a letter. Our job is to receive complaints, handle them in a timely and courteous manner, and ensure they are routed to the appropriate person or body for resolution. The Compliance Office will track the complaint to ensure the issue is resolved and then keep a record of how it was resolved.

The Code of Conduct also establishes a Code of Conduct Review Board, which is charged with acting on complaints and conducting formal hearings. Before the review board can conduct an investigation, someone must file a Sworn Complaint alleging a violation of the Code of Conduct by a public official or public employee. All sworn complaints are considered public records under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.

In some instances, a person may witness conduct that they feel is improper but may not constitute a violation of the Code of Conduct. The Compliance Office will accept an Inquiry Form from citizens or county employees identifying such conduct. An inquiry is not a sworn complaint and will not be considered by the Code of Conduct Review Board. An inquiry does require that the person complaining of the behavior provide their contact information and identity. Such inquiries will be handled internally by the county to allow for a self-critical analysis to see if some form of corrective action is required. The Inquiry Form is a public record and may be shared with the person identified as having engaged in improper conduct.

While the Compliance Office will accept an Anonymous Complaint, and some cases are best handled this way, the likelihood of resolving the issue without a formal complaint is less likely. The more information you can provide, the better. The Office of Ethics Compliance will not publicly share your name unless required to by law.

Some complaints involving criminal allegations may need to be handled by law enforcement.

The Code of Conduct also provides that any person who provides a good faith complaint against any person shall not be retaliated against. This policy of non-retaliation applies whether or not the complaint is determined to be well-founded.

Whatever the facts of the incident you are reporting, the Compliance Office will send the report to the appropriate office for investigation and resolution. If the conduct you are questioning has a legitimate, work-based explanation, we will inform you of it.

Please click on the image below to see the Code of Conduct Board Sworn Complaint process/tracking flowchart.